Sunday, April 23, 2017 Intro to Mark 16:9-16 Pastor Don Denyes Jesus’ present location makes all the difference in the world. If He did not rise from the dead, then everything pertaining to Christianity is worthless (1 Cor. 15:17). If He is not seated at the right hand of God the Father, awaiting His return when He will judge all people, then we have no authority to say anything to anyone about how they should live. In fact, as Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 15, if Jesus isn’t alive, Christians are liars of the worst kind because we are lying about God Himself! But, in fact, Jesus is alive. He is in Heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father. And He is coming back one day to judge all people. Those who have received forgiveness for their sins because of His sacrifice on the cross and have committed themselves in allegiance to Him will be saved. Those who have not believed in that way, will be eternally separated from God’s grace. In the meantime, He has entrusted this message to the church. He has given us the task of telling people that He rose from the dead and that He is coming back to judge people and the only way to escape His wrath is to trust in His sacrifice and commit yourself to willing obedience. So, that is the task which we must be about. Context Mark 16:9-16 has been disputed by some since it does not appear in many of the earliest manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark. Each Gospel writer essentially picked and chose which true stories about Jesus they would include in their Gospels (Luke gives the most detail about his method). However, most Christian scholars agree that it is a true reporting of what Jesus and the disciples said and did, so it was included in later manuscripts. Therefore, this story is entirely reliable for our edification and echoes the undisputed commissioning of Jesus’ disciples in Matthew 28:18-20. Read and Reflect (Use this section to write down any thoughts you had on the sermon. Make sure to note any questions you had about something in the passage or in the sermon.) Read Mark 16:9-16: “Mark’s Epilogue”
From skepticism to evangelism
I. Where is Jesus?
16.6… He is not here
14.28 But after I have risen…
Implications – He is alive!
- He has conquered death
- There is hope
II. Where is Jesus?
16.7… He is going ahead of you into Galilee
14.28… I will go ahead of you into Galilee
Implications – He restores us
- He sends us
III. Where is Jesus?
16.19… in Heaven at the right hand of God
14.62… you will see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the Mighty One…
Implications – He is Lord
Romans 8:34: “Who is he that condemns us? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us! Discuss 1) Why would someone not want to believe that Jesus rose from the dead?
2) How does the fact that Jesus rose bodily from the dead give us hope? What is it that we hope for as a result of Jesus’ resurrection?
3) Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-57. In light of this passage, how should Christians think about death?
4) If you are a Christian, God has chosen you to share the gospel message: that Jesus died, rose again, and is the rightful ruler over all creation. He could have chosen someone else but He chose you. When you think about that, what is your response?
5) Jesus gave the command to His disciples: “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” You can only be in one small part of creation at a time. God has placed you here, in this part of creation, for the time being. How are you going to proclaim the gospel in this part of creation?